I requested this ARC because I was drawn to the title and the comparison to Saltburn, and it really didn't disappoint.

I have never read this author, but her prose is absolutely stunning. Her descriptive writing feels like you're admiring a painting that is right in front of you.

The gothic, melancholic setting will always work for me, so I was drawn in right away. It felt a bit like the story of Hades and Persephone mixed with the uneasy horror of Saltburn.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘔𝘢𝘤𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘗𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘎𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘱 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘈𝘙𝘊. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.

This author has a lovely prose style. The vivid descriptions are chef’s kiss. The deep love and sorrow of this tale drips off the page. I felt it in my bones, and I am enamored by this story.

Lacrimosa (Lark) is expelled from her dream art school and returns home to her older brothers who raised her after their parents died. Drowning in sorrow she longs to find comfort in her childhood home but is met with horror instead.

The family salt mine has run dry, and the man responsible for her first heartbreak - Alastair - calls in her family’s debt. Unable to pay, Lark finds a marriage of convenience to resolve the debt. But on the night of her wedding, it all goes horribly wrong.

Lark is thrown into the dangerous folklore of the gods, her heartbreak with Alastair, her attraction to his older sister Camille, the shame of her art school failures, and the tragic history of her family. She is fast slipping away from the mortal world, unsure if anyone can save her.

We delve into love in a way that highlights its poisons and abuse. Mourning those who take advantage by gaslighting and purposely inflicting trauma. These examples being balanced by the wonderful representation of polyamorous and bisexual relationships. The author writes with an open mind and her characters love in the same way.

I was privileged to receive an ARC of this book - thank you NetGalley and Lyndall Clipstone - and have been honest in my review of it. I did not receive anything in exchange for my review.

Tenderly, I Am Devoured is like looking at an oil painting that's being described to you. The beautiful, poetic writing pulls you in and wraps you in a serene atmosphere of coastal grasslands, dark forests, and tumultuous seas. One of the highlights for me was watching Lacrimosa navigate her way through the story and all its twists and turns alongside Alastair and Camille. I found them all to be flawed but very likable characters which made it easy to root for them.

To summarise the vibes, 'flower-threaded gothic horror' is the perfect way to describe this book. Definitely a must-read for anyone who enjoyed the movie Saltburn or Crimson Peak.

Thank you, Lyndall, NetGalley, and Macmillan Publishing Group for the eARC!

Let me start off by saying that the cover for this book is gorgeous!! It is very fitting for the story. Tenderly, I Am Devoured is a beautifully written gothic-esque novel, but it starts off slow and stays at that pace often throughout the book. That being said, it is still very good, but I did have a problem with one aspect of the story. Without giving any spoilers (I'll try my best not to), the relationships the FMC, Lacrimosa, or Lark for short, is cringe worthy. The two siblings, Alastair and Camille, end up being her lovers and they don't mind that she is with them both. It's incestuous and really damages the wonderful story that the author has written. I had a hard time finishing the book because of this. Had they not been siblings, I would have given this a higher rating. I loved the world building and I can't stress enough how lovely it was written.
I would like to thank NetGalley and MacMillan Children's Publishing Group for allowing me a chance to read a digital copy of the ARC in exchange for my honest review. I really appreciate the opportunity to do so!

I've been frothing at the mouth waiting to read this book, and it was everything I wanted it to be and more.
I devoured this book. I love this book with my entire being.
I only ever want to read books that are beautiful the way that this book is beautiful, romantic the way this book is romantic, terrible, and awful, full of salt and chthonic liquor and gods and blood.

Wow!!! Just WOW! This was everything my Saltburn loving heart was craving. Think dark academia, chthonic gods, bi fantasy masterpiece.

Tenderly, I am Devoured is a heartfelt ode to tender first feelings, soft kisses, broken promises, and broken dreams reforged anew. Clipstone manages to capture those almost fawn-like feelings of new adulthood, that liminal, painful space that is the threshold between childhood and adulthood. As a soft, queer girl that experienced her own shattered heartbreak, the fragile dance of friendship, and more, this book resonated with me and stirred long-forgotten feelings in me.
A whimsical world full of gods, wrathful loves, and flower-threaded horror, the world of Verse fills one with an aching sense of longing and nostalgia as you follow Lark and her tremulous steps into a new world.

This is a tale that spans from childhood to adulthood, trudging though the turmoils of love and heartbreak in adolescence, and finding one's path and self-worth in life. There is betrayal, forgiveness, and a loyalty that would rock any character. I picture the primary scenes on beachy cliffs with a forest close by, and the colors muted unless emotions are present. This book shares a lot of symbolism in objects and art along with the beautifully unimportant need to identify relationships and attractions as this-or-that (the characters in the book fall for a person, not a gender, quite often, and it is one of the BEST parts of this story). I would recommend this for anyone that loves a gothic element and a character with a relentless destiny as wild as the ocean, along with a touch of magic/fate.

A favorite:
<i>"... the worst hurt doesn't always come with open violence. Instead, there is a tenderness before you're devoured."</i>

The story sets out with Lacrimosa (Lark) returning back home after experiencing a betrayal and subsequent expulsion from their schooling. Lark and her brothers are experiencing difficulties repaying their family debt due to their empty salt mines. Having no other option, Lark agrees to be married to the chthonic God that they worship. After second-guessing this choice, Lark seeks the help of her childhood friends/romantic interests.


First, the cover is absolutely beautiful. Second, while the storyline itself was not my favorite, the writing style is something of poetry; it is ethereal in a way that portrays femininity as a subtle but powerful thing. Thirdly, questionable but intriguing romantic partner choices that while made for entertainment did not come across the paper well for me. The LGBT representation was also something that I really much enjoyed.

Overall, I would recommend this book looking for a dark, romantic, gothic, ethereal read!

4.5/5

I feel so much for Lacrimosa. My heart aches for her. I adore her relationships with Alastair, Camille, and even Therion. What would it be like to be loved and love so many? I did wish we could explore more of Therion though. What a whirlwind of a story, so beautifully written that it makes it seem like you can feel the salt breeze on your cheeks.

Thank you to the author and publisher for providing a copy for an honest review.

When Lark is expelled from school, she returns to find her family’s estate crumbling, with her brothers on the brink of losing their salt mines to her former friend-turned-enemy in order to cover their debt. Faced with a desperate situation, Lark is offered a chance to change her fate: marry a God. But when the wedding is abruptly interrupted, Lark must rely on those closest to her to restore balance and preserve everything she holds dear.

This book had the potential to be a gothic horror novel of my dreams, with all the right elements—mystery, mythology, and dark twists. Unfortunately, it never quite reached the heights I was hoping for. Moments that should have been intense and unsettling fell flat, and situations begging for a sense of urgency or ferocity instead seemed to fizzle out. I was never pulled in, never gripped, as I had expected to be.

While I appreciate a protagonist who embarks on a journey of self-discovery, Lark’s character left me cold. She begins the story timid and uncertain, and despite the events that unfold, she ends the book unchanged—still meek, still helpless, and still someone who is tossed aside by everyone around her. There was no transformative moment for her; no spark of strength or agency. Instead of growing into a character I could root for, Lark remained as delicate and passive as when we first meet her—like a fragile doll who can be easily discarded with no lasting impact.

The romance also felt awkward, to say the least. While I’ve read books featuring multiple lovers for a single character, the sibling dynamic here cast a shadow over the entire story. The tension surrounding this love triangle made the interactions uncomfortable rather than enticing. I found myself disconnected from the romance entirely, unable to see why either sibling would want Lark let alone both plus a few more as we complete the story. This element didn’t feel compelling or passionate—it was more of an unsettling arrangement that I couldn’t quite get behind.

The plot itself, while rooted in mythology and hints at a fairy-tale retelling, never fully delivers. There are tantalizing glimpses of mythological depth—moments involving an unreliable narrator, failed rituals, and the whispers of a darker underworld—but they feel like distractions, never developed enough to draw the reader in. Instead of diving into the rich lore and stakes of the story, those elements remain on the periphery. I found myself wanting more exploration of the mythological aspects, especially with the faint echoes of the Hades and Persephone myth, which felt underwhelming and undeveloped.

In the end, this book didn’t fulfill the promise it held. While I’m sure it may resonate with some readers, I found it lacking in both character development and plot depth. Lark’s journey didn’t capture me, and I’m left with a sense of missed potential. I do hope others find something to enjoy here, but for me, it simply wasn’t the gripping, gothic tale I had hoped for.

**special thanks to the publishers and netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for a fair and honest review**

I did not expect to love this book as much as I did but wow! A very refreshing read with an original story and an interesting world, unique system of gods, and intimate character relationships. The feel of the book immediately reminded me of Ava Reid's A Study in Drowning, with its dark, moody house on the hill in the setting of a salty, brackish, pastoral town. However, we deviate here, as amidst the gritty, salty backdrop, here there is a lovely, bohemian motif of colorful wildflowers, flowy linens, and running barefoot through fields of grass. I love when books are able to communicate a mood so vividly through setting and this book did it very well.

In terms of plot, the first third of the book did feel a little slow but went quickly from then on. I do think Camille was a little underdeveloped as a character. Ultimately, the relationship between Lark, Alastair, and Camille was really the highlight of this book for me. The romance was unconventional but sweet and endearing and vulnerable in a way that was very fitting for a coming-of-age story. I love that this story celebrated the softer elements of the characters, with kindness, sensitivity, and love at the center. I like that no one had to be a hero.

Overall, I loved this book, and I can't wait to get ahold of a print copy when it gets published. Thanks to the lovely author and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this as an ARC!!

Thank you to NetGalley for the e-ARC!
First things first, this is a gorgeous book. The prose was a joy to read and the atmosphere was vivid. It was a good length, and felt in many ways like an older fairy tale. I did struggle to care about the plot - there is little to no urgency throughout most of the book, and the flashbacks do not contribute meaningfully - nothing that happened at the school is interesting enough to justify a second plotline. I wish the whole story had been tighter, the characters a little more defined, but it was an enjoyable quick read.

I really wanted to like this book but didn't.

It was well written and an interesting story. But.. I like gothic, but this was really dark feeling - too much for my taste. I also found it a slog to read through. It was work to get through this - and thats not what I want in a book. I am giving it three stars because although i didn't enjoy it, I did finish it all and it wasn't a dnf. Would I recommend it? Not to anyone I know..

I want to thank #netgalley and the author for the opportunity to read this book. I just wish I had better news.

I loved this book. It's so nice to read a book with interesting new magic systems, tropes that aren't overdone, and characters that are both relatable and uncomfortable. I think the dark academia label is inaccurately applied to this book, and hopefully will fade from use before publication. But otherwise I throughly enjoyed this book and flew through it.

I enjoyed the prose and imagery the most. It’s dark, moody, gothic and intense. The cover of the book is beautiful but doesn’t really convey the sea-heavy content.

I wanted the relationships and plot to be more fleshed out, for sure. At times it was a struggle to find the will to keep reading.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

I think the author did a great job of quite literally plunging us into a fast paced, dark, hopeful story.

I really enjoyed how fast paced it was, but I do think that some of the pacing was off just a bit. The flashbacks were some of my favorite moments and I wish we would have gotten more from that.

There were a few twists that I enjoyed as well. The bi representation was done well, though I did find it interesting it was between 2 of the 3 main characters and that’s all I can say without spoiling lol.

Overall, I liked this book, but didn’t love it.

I love the cover of this book! I unfortunately found the story to be slow and uncomfortable. I didn’t feel any connections to the characters. I would definitely check out the trigger warnings before reading this book.

Thank you NetGalley, Lyndall and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for the eARC!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️
Publication date : July 1 2025

Tenderly, I am Devoured
By Lyndall Clipstone

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillian for a eARC for and honest review.

Overall review 4⭐️

Tropes:
🪽Folklore
🪽New Deity system
🪽Art Appreciation
🪽Family legacy
🪽Enemies to lovers


I went into this one thinking one thing and being blown away by what was really happening. Clipstone builds a beautiful world full of folklore, messy relationships and a haunting perspective of Gods and how humans expect things from them. Lark returns home disgraced from boarding school just to find that her family home is in more financial ruin than ever before. By some strange twist to save her family she finds herself betrothed to the chthonic god, Therion, that her family worships. When the wedding does not go as planned she finds herself getting help with the least unlikely of people.

My favorite thing about this book is the lore. It was the one thing that drew me in the most. I felt like the pacing was slightly off with the flashbacks; the second the story started to feel like it was moving forward we are pulled away. I tend to dislike these nonlinear plot lines making this my only dislike with the book. I loved the twists this book took and it kept me on edge from knowing what was actually the truth until it was fully reviled. The relationships a raw, confusing and messy making a wonderfully different love shape.

Endearing story with lore deep background. I enjoyed how detailed she writes and following Lacrimosa.
Truly beautiful prose that captivates you into the world. Alastair is strange and alluring from the beginning. This book is about a good as descriptive writing can get. Beautiful and picturesque.

I was surprised to actually see Therion in the story as some folklore refers to the Gods and don’t even have them appear beyond their shrine being present.

I felt Camille wasn’t present in the plot much, but enjoyed Alastair having a more dominant presence.

Lacrimosa’s family ties, problems, brothers, and debts were well conveyed and enabled the reader to be in her shoes.

The romantic moments of Lacrimosa and relationships worked out better than I anticipated. I wondered how she was going to execute that. Camille seemed to have more tender moments and reflect with Lacrimosa in the beginning and generally Alastair wears down and can’t handle being around Lacrimosa anymore. It is like he was putting up a front and didn’t want to like her, yet always did.